Category Archives: Outreach

Beginning of MAAC Adoption of Squirrel

Media, Outreach

The Squirrel is mentioned several times in the MAAC’s 2008 Beginner Committee Report which came out on April 18th, 2009.

February 2008 a youth aviation workshop using Darcy Whyte’s Flying Squirrel and MAAC/AMA Cubs was presented for 14 Scouts and 3 Adult Leaders of 20th Cambridge Scouts

March 2008 a demonstration of simple rubber powered model aircraft (6 MAAC/AMA Cubs, 15 Darcy Whyte’s Flying Squirrels, a Hanger Rat and 2 versions of Bill Hannon’s AM/FM ) was given for 75 Cubs & Scouts and 22 Adult Leaders at the Hamilton Warplane Heritage Museum. This resulted in an invitation from two groups (1 Cub Pack and 1 Scout Troop) to provide a model aviation workshop.

March 2008 a youth aviation workshop, based on Darcy Whyte’s Flying Squirrel was presented for 12 Cubs and 3 Adult Leaders of 26th Cambridge Cubs

April 2008 a youth aviation workshop, based on Darcy Whyte’s Flying Squirrel was presented for 12 Scouts and 4 Adult Leaders of 26th Cambridge Scouts

April 2008 a youth aviation workshop, based on Darcy Whyte’s Flying Squirrel was presented for 8 Cubs and 2 Adult Leaders of 20th Cambridge Cubs

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Squirrels makes front cover of a magazine!

Media, Outreach, Testimonial

Squirrel made front cover of Mecatronica magazine in Brazil.

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Squirrels appear in another school

Education, Gallery, Outreach, Testimonial, ,

 

Here’s some information I got from Victor I. Smedstad:

Got Squirrel from the Internet a month or so ago. I have been trying to build model airplanes since about 1941 with a nickel or dime Comet Curtis Robin. Most of my so called scale attempts flew like rocks, so much of what I have built has been flyers. For the past 7 years I have been volunteering three days a week at an elementary school in Bremerton, Washington, adjoining the Naval Base. I wanted to work on flying models with kids, but until Squirrel, they all required Xacto or razor blades and that meant risk of injury which could only be minimized with one adult to one kid, a ratio I could not come even close to. So no building.

Then Squirrel!!

 

After my third Squirrel, I made some modifications, none of which modified the basic design. A fifth grade teacher was willing to work with me and I found that most shoe boxes were 11 inches or more in width, but few were as much as 12 inches in width. So the first modification was to reduce the wing span to 11 inches.

Because time was a problem, and fifth graders are not too good at measuring, I made a Sharpie mark at the middle of the wing leading and trailing edges, and at the middle of the horizontal stab LE and at the middle of two 2inch ribs for the end ribs.

In addition I redrew the instructions as plans on my $10 CAD program. Found out later that fifth graders have difficulty dealing with plans, but could do what they were told to do.

I tried it out first on a fourth grader, just one. As tying the tooth pick on with thread was more that kids could do, I eliminated the thread and added a 3/8 inch X 3/16 piece to butt up against the tooth pick.

I then got a group of five kids who were willing to stay after school and used two sessions to make sure the white glue had time to dry thoroughly.

They then acted as classroom experts when we then had the remaining 20 kids do the Squirrel.

Attachments: First, a shot of the classroom: Flegel class 00. Because there was no way we could get 25 kids flying squirrels in the gym, we flew outside. Flegel class 06. And all 25 flew: Flegel class 17.

I am impressed as were the kids.

Victor I. Smedstad

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